Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue has played for the Jaguars for the first four years of his career, but he’s not interested in continuing to be a member of the team.
Ngakoue made that clear in a tweet on Monday morning. Ngakoue announced that he has no intention of signing a long-term deal that would keep him in Jacksonville.
“The Jaguars are aware I no longer have interest in signing a long term contract in Jacksonville. Duval, I love you and gave you guys everything I got. I’m thankful for the journey and look forward to continuing my career elsewhere,” Ngakoue wrote.
Ngakoue’s unwillingness to sign a long-term deal with the Jaguars doesn’t mean he’ll be hitting the open market later this month. The Jaguars can still use the franchise tag and Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that they plan to do exactly that ahead of the March 12 deadline.
Assuming Ngakoue, who is No. 11 on our list of the top free agents, stays firm in his desire to leave, that tag could be a precursor to a trade similar to the ones involving Frank Clark and Dee Ford last offseason. If so, he’d join cornerback Jalen Ramsey as one-time defensive linchpins to leave Jacksonville via a trade in less than a year.